Bowler’s masterbatch department has achieved a 1000 colour milestone. The significance of this achievement reaches further than such an enormous colour library, but is also a huge marker of success for only a 10 year old department, and the skilled and dedicated team behind the milestone.

Bowler is a pioneer within the industry. An in house masterbatch department within plastics manufacturing is exceptional. Colour matching masterbatch from Pantone or sample colours supplied by clients is a complex technical procedure that when outsourced can take time. With an extensive colour library to choose from, and the handling of colour matching on site, Bowler’s turnkey solution significantly speeds up production turnaround time.

A history

In October 2010. Friedel Sass, Anthony Knutsen and Fritz Sass decided to look into the option of masterbatch colouring as it was the most stable colouring solution for the extrusion process. The suggestion for an in house solution was born out of dire need as the early 2000’s saw Bowler faced with regular challenges and set backs due to colour matching which hindered production and efficiency.

The team began consulting a small masterbatch manufacturer in Germany, who offered valuable insight and knowledge into the challenges of colour matching. In April 2011 Bowler’s first small lab extruder arrived with colour matching software, this was the start of a vision and Bowler Masterbatch was born. In 2012, a retiree by the name of Chris Pickering was appointed as a consultant. In just a short term with Bowler, Chris together with Fritz Sass helped choose the Colour Index numbers for the prime colours that we still use today.

Pickering, along with Fritz Sass created the foundation for Bowler’s masterbatch business and for that we are extremely grateful. Bowler’s first in house colour was developed in February 2013.

To a 1000 colours and beyond

Today, the department is headed up by Fahiema Schoeman. In March, 2013 she was appointed to run the department and ‘get the show on the road’, as she describes. After interviewing and selecting her team – which she now refers to as her family, Fahiema’s approach has always been that when faced with a challenge, dive into it head on with passion and hard work. This ethos spread amongst her team as they saw the challenge of building a new department from the ground up within Bowler as an opportunity to be seized with both hands and in 2014 the Masterbatch Department won Bowler’s department of the year. Schoeman’s second in command is Gavin Frans, who started out as a packer at Bowler and is now a skilled colour technician able to step in for her should the need arise. Schoeman says that this dependability is true of her whole team – they are respectful and supportive of one another. The team takes great pride in where the department is today.